The Hours is a 2003 drama directed by Stephen Daldry and starring Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep, and Ed Harris. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Michael Cunningham, the plot follows the lives of three women living in three different time periods, but are all connected by Virginia Woolf's classic book Mrs. Dalloway. The first is Virginia Woolf herself (Kidman), who, in 1923, is in the process of writing Mrs. Dalloway in her estate in Richmond, England. Mentally ill, she struggles under her current circumstances and longs for her life back in London. The second is Laura Brown (Moore) a Los Angeles housewife in the 1950s. She is severely depressed with a life that she did not want to lead, and does not know how to escape. Finally, there is Clarissa Vaughan (Meryl Streep), a book editor in modern-day (2001) New York City, the living embodiment of Mrs. Dalloway. She deals with the ailing health of her AIDS-stricken friend, poet and Laura Brown's son Richard (Harris), while planning a party on his behalf. The three women also struggle with common issues, among them depression, suicide, and bisexuality. The film is very psychological; that is, the plot revolves almost entirely around the thoughts and emotions of the women. It is most definitely a film more appealing to women, but anyone can appreciate the amazing character study that Cunningham and Daldry construct. The film also benefits from wonderful performances from all of the leads. Kidman won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance, and although deserved, it was not necessarily better than those of Moore and Streep. In all, the film, although at times a little slow and dragging, is lovely -- a well-directed, well-acted, and well-written film.
Should you see it: Yes
Grade: A-
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